Case 3258 Acmaeodera Eschscholtz, 1829 And Acmaeoderella Cobos, 1955 (Insecta, Coleoptera): Proposed Conservation Of Usage By Designation Of Buprestis Cylindrica Fabricius, 1775 As The Type Species Of Acmaeodera

3 Pages·2003·0.98 MB·English

by  C L Bellamy

Bulletin ofZoological Nomenclature 60(1) March 2003 31
Case 3258
Acmaeodera Eschscholtz, 1829 and Acmaeoderella Cobos, 1955
(Insecta, Coleoptera): proposed conservation of usage by designation
of Buprestis cylindrica Fabricius, 1775 as the type species of
Acmaeodera
C.L. Bellamy
Plant Pest Diagnostics Lab., California Department ofFood & Agriculture,
3294 Meadowview Road, Sacramento, California 95832, U.S.A.
(e-mail: [email protected])
M.G. Volkovitsh
Zoological Institute, Russian Academy ofSciences, RU-199034
St. Petersburg, Russia (e-mail: [email protected])
Abstract. The purpose of this application, under Article 70.2 of the Code, is to
conserve the current usage ofthe widely used buprestid (jewel beetle) generic names
Acmaeodera Eschscholtz, 1829 and Acmaeoderella Cobos, 1955 (family buprestidae)
byacceptingthedesignation ofBuprestiscylindrica Fabricius, 1775 asthetype species
of Acmaeodera. The type species of Acmaeodera is at present formally Buprestis
taeniata Fabricius, 1787 (a junior subjective synonym of B. flavofasciata Filler &
Mitterpacher, 1783). However, this designation (made in 1841) has been overlooked,
and in modern usage B. cylindrica has universally been accepted as the type species
oiAcmaeodera. Adoption ofB. taeniata as type species oiAcmaeodera would cause
great nomenclatural instability as nearly 500 species would be affected by transfer
and changes in generic and subgeneric names.
Keywords. Nomenclature; taxonomy; Coleoptera; buprestidae; Acmaeodera;
Acmaeoderella; Carininota; Acmaeodera cylindrica; Acmaeoderellaflavofasciata;jewel
beetles.
1. Eschscholtz (1829, p. 9) introduced the generic name Acmaeodera for five
nominal species ofbuprestid beetles (family buprestidae): Buprestis gibbosa Olivier,
1790, B. taeniata Fabricius, 1787 (p. 180), B. adspersula (as adspersa) Illiger, 1803,
B. ornata Olivier, 1790, and B. cylindrica Fabricius, 1775 (p. 220). None was
designated as the type species. Acmaeodera now includes 495 species found in all
parts of the world except Australasia.
2. Duponchel (1841, p. 88) subsequently designated B. taeniata Fabricius, 1787 as
the type species of Acmaeodera. Desmarest (1860, p. 41) indicated that he con-
sidered B. taeniata to be the type species ofAcmaeodera. Starting from the work of
Harold (1869, p. 117), B. taeniata has been listed as a junior subjective synonym
of B. flavofasciata Filler & Mitterpacher, 1783 (p. 84) (currently Acmaeoderella
flavofasciata).
)
32 Bulletin ofZoological Nomenclature 60(1) March 2003
3. Cobos (1955, p. 5) introduced the generic name Acmaeoderella and designated
Buprestis discoidea Fabricius, 1787 (p. 184) as the type species. Later, Cobos (1958)
revised the Acmaeoderini of Morocco and transferred 21 nominal species of
Acmaeodera (including A. flavofasciata) to Acmaeoderella. Acmaeoderella currently
includes 120 species, all restricted to the Palaearctic region.
4. Volkovitsh (1979, p. 339; see also the 1980 Enghsh translation, p. 82) invalidly
designated B. cylindrica Fabricius, 1775 as the type species oiAcmaeodera, unaware
of the much earlier designation of B. taeniata by Duponchel (see para. 2 above).
In this work Volkovitsh pubhshed a classification for the Palaearctic species of
both Acmaeodera and Acmaeoderella, erecting new subgenera and species groups.
Buprestisflavofasciata ( = B. taeniata; see para. 2 above) was designated as the type
species of the subgenus Carininota Volkovitsh, 1979 (p. 352) in Acmaeoderella.
Carininota and Buprestisflavofasciata were placed on Official Lists in Opinion 2008
(BZN 59: 211-216, September 2002). After Cobos (1955, 1958) and Volkovitsh
(1979), the names Acmaeoderella and Acmaeodera have been used in accord with the
type designations (valid and invalid respectively) made by these authors and their
meaningshavebeen universallyaccepted(see Bily, 1977, 1983; Miihle, 1980; Bellamy,
1985; Cobos, 1986; Holynski, 1993; Curletti, 1994; Kolibac, 2001; Volkovitsh, 2001).
5. Nomenclatural chaos would be caused ifDuponchel's type species designation
were to be accepted and B. taeniata taken to be the type species ofAcmaeodera. The
name Acmaeodera would be applied to the 120 exclusively Palaearctic species
currently placed in Acmaeoderella and its six subgenera, and the taxonomic subgenus
now called Carininota would become the nominotypical subgenus Acmaeodera
{Acmaeodera)(seepara. 4aboveand Article44). Thetaxon nowcalled Acmaeoderella
{Acmaeoderella), with the type species B. discoidea, would become one of the
subgenera oiAcmaeodera with a new subgeneric name. The 495 species (in some 12
subgenera) currently in Acmaeodera would be placed in a genus with a name
depending on taxonomic view, and the subgenus containing B. cylindrica Fabricius
would need a new name.
6. To avoid the confusion that would result from over-turning the traditional
stability ofthe genera Acmaeodera and Acmaeoderella, the type species designation
of Duponchel (1841; see para. 2 above) should be set aside and the designation of
Volkovitsh (1979; see para. 4 above) should be conserved.
7. The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature is accordingly
asked:
(1 to use itsplenarypower to set aside all fixations oftype species forthe nominal
genus Acmaeodera Eschscholtz, 1829 before that of Buprestis cylindrica
Fabricius, 1775 by Volkovitsh (1979);
(2) to placeontheOfficial List ofGenericNames in Zoology the followingnames:
(a) Acmaeodera Eschscholtz, 1829 (gender: feminine), type species Buprestis
cylindrica Fabricius, 1775 by the fixation ofVolkovitsh (1979) as ruled in
(1) above;
(h) Acmaeoderella Cobos, 1955 (gender: feminine), type species by original
designation Buprestis discoidea Fabricius, 1787;
(3) to place on the Official List ofSpecificNames inZoology the followingnames:
(a) cylindrica Fabricius, 1775, as published in the binomen Buprestis cylindrica
(specific name ofthe type species oiAcmaeodera Eschscholtz, 1829);
Bulletin ofZoological Nomenclature 60(1) March 2003 33
(b) discoidea Fabricius, 1787, as published in the binomen Buprestis discoidea
(specific name ofthe type species ofAcmaeoderelki Cobos, 1955).
References
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Navorsinge van die nasionale Museum, Bloemfontein, 4(15): 405^72.
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Academia, Praha.
Bily, S. 1983. Results of the Czechoslovak-Iranian Entomological Expedition to Iran.
Coleoptera. Buprestidae. Acta Entomologica Musaei Nationalis Pragae. 41: 29-89.
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VFiolllkeorv,iMts.h,&M.MiGt.te1r9p7a9c.heAr,reLv.ie1w78o3f.PIatleareparecrtiPcosgeroguapnsumof.t.he. 1tr4i7beppA.cmBauedoadee.rini (Coleoptera,
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Acknowledgement ofreceipt ofthis application was published in BZN 60: 1.
Comments on this case are invited for publication (subject to editing) in the Bulletin; they
should be sent to the Executive Secretary, I.C.Z.N., c/o The Natural History Museum,
Cromwell Road. London SW7 5BD, U.K. (e-mail: iczn(@nhm.ac.uk).